The hype: LSU started off its 2012-2013 campaign with a 6-0 record but was went 13-12 the rest of the way, losing by 22 to top-seeded Florida in the SEC tournament to end the end the season. Picked to finish fourth, behind Kentucky, Florida and Tennessee, things could be looking in the Bayou State.

The headline: Johnny O'Bryant III was named a preseason first-team All-SEC selection and is arguably the best big man in the conference after, averaging 13.6 points and 8.7 rebounds lastseason. His presence down low will be the catalyst for LSU.

MVP watch: It's O'Bryant's team but guardsbut the backcourt combination of junior Anthony Hickey and Andre Stringer (10.4 points) will be nearly equally important to the Tigers' attack this season.

The player says: "We were a very scrappy team. We hustled a lot. We dove on balls because we knew that those were the things that were going to keep us in games. Sometimes that ended up winning games for us."-Johnny O'Bryant III

The coach says: "We want to make sure that we're able to challenge and compete with the top teams in the league. And when you talk about Florida and Kentucky and their tradition and the number of guys that they have coming back from last year's team and the way that they've finished, it's one of those things that we have to, especially with Kentucky's recruiting, we've gotta make sure that we're trying to recruit at the highest level."-LSU coach Johnny Jones